Sellier & Bellot has been manufacturing ammunition in the Czech Republic since 1825. Their ammunition has been recognized throughout Europe for its high quality, precision and reliability, which is used by hunters, competition shooters, law enforcement agencies and militaries around the world.

Shortly after Germany adopted what is now commonly known as the 8mm Mauser, in 1888, Mauser introduced a rimmed version of that case, specifically for use in double rifles and combination guns. Originally, these two cartridges differed only in rim design. In 1905, the German army switched from a 226-grain, 0.318-inch (JR), round-nosed bullet to a 154-grain, 0.323-inch (JRS), spitzer - grooves of all existing military 8x57 J barrels were deepened, to extend useful barrel life. The "S" in the designation stands for "Spitzer" and also indicates that the barrel was either originally made for, or was altered to use, 0.323-inch bullets. It is rare to find any rifle in use that is barreled for the original 0.318-inch bullet diameter; however, many good combination guns that were made for the original 8x57 JR are still around, so this is possible. The 8x57 JRS is a flexible and powerful cartridge duplicating 30-06 performance. Hence, many double rifles and combination guns are still chambered in 8x57 JRS every year. However, to assure smooth extraction and to avoid overstressing these generally weaker actions, pressure should be kept low.